New research finds that the percentage of Americans who get most of their …

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More Americans are getting their political news from the Internet. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which measures such things, the four years between the mid-term election in 2002 and the recent election in 2006 saw an explosion of interest in using the Internet as a primary source of political news. During that time period, the percentage of Americans who used the Internet as their main source of election coverage more than doubled from 7 percent to 15 percent.

The increase in Internet usage did not necessarily harm traditional television and print outlets, however. Pew's survey of 1,750 Americans found that the percentages of those who still used print and TV as sources held steady, at 34 percent and 69 percent, respectively. Those worried that the rise of the Internet would automatically spell the doom of traditional news channels can breathe a (small) sigh of relief at the news.

Survey respondents said that the Internet offered them the most control over their news, allowing them to pick their sources, compare viewpoints, and check facts. But control isn't the only factor that matters. Those who still rely on print media cite the convenience of flipping through a paper rather than firing up the computer and surfing for news. Plenty of people also like the look and feel of paper, and many reported something intriguing: reading a newspaper was a soothing act for them. Internet users, though informed and in control, were less relaxed.

Television's advantages are many. The biggest, of course, is how easy it is to turn on, tune in, and just soak up the story. TV watchers also valued the local coverage that TV has, which probably means that they're watching local news, which in turn means that they're up-to-date on the Five Ways to Beat the Winter Blues and they know all about Sparky, the Squirrel Who Falls Off a Telephone Wire.

The bigger advantage, when it comes to political news, is the ability see and hear local candidates who don't appear in national publications. Television is also the best way to get a "personal connection" with the candidates, according to the report, and people especially enjoy sizing up candidates during political debates.

But what's truly interesting about the study is the finding that everyone—no matter how they get their news—believes that their preferred news source is 1) most convenient and 2) least biased (representative comment: "Fox is fairer and lets everybody have their own opinion.").

Pew also noted a few things that people did not say, though the answers might have been expected. For instance, not one of the 1,750 respondents said that they "seek information that supports their own side or beliefs," and not a single person said that they appreciated negative information on candidates.